The Portland daily press., 1887-06-11
AFAMous SALT MINE.
Works that Union Cunboat Bonn
barded and the . 9th Maine Helped
Destroy.

On Petite Anse or Avery's Island, In the
Bayou Teche region Of Louisiana Is one Of
the most remarkable salt mines In the coun-
try, From the piazza of house on the
island you can with glass sweep the range
Of the marshes, with the winding abyou on
which red-sailed boats come creeping to-
ward the housee Of the Acadlans. From the
plaza Of the Avery house Is one Of the fair
est prospects In all the South, the lazy wind
ings OF the bayou, with half-mile stretch
flashing In the sunlight two miles away, Yer
million bay in the far distance, Cypremort
Point beyond and the passage into the Gulf.
At that shining stretch Union gunboat
once stood and shelled the island pr0miscu-
ously in the hope Of hitting the unseen salt
works, but did no harm and finally got a
ground, being glad enough at last TO escape
unhurt itself. The island contains 300
acres, at least IA of which are underlain by
the now famous rock,salt. The Avery fami-
~, says correspondent Of the Springfield
Republican, came originally from Groton,
Ct, taking Cayuga county, N. Y, Cincinnati
and Baton Rouge as steps on their westward
way. At least as early as the beginning Of
the century salt ticks or springs were known
to exist in a certain valley; during the war
Of 1912 In the dearth Of salt these springs
served TO supply local demand.
During the civil war these springs, like the
Massachusetts lead mines, came again into
use, and the plantation kettles were set 10
evaporating the brine. 1t was while one Of
the Avery sons was deepening a spring for
more abundant supply that.he struck a solid
mass OF rock salt only is feet below the sur
face. Examination was made at once suffl-
Gent TO show that the deposit was large.
The Confederate government was notified
and finally took charge OF the mine and
worked it. IL was Of immense value 10 the
Confederacy, for they were almost desperate
Tor salt. The product was hauled to New
Iberia, and shipped thence by the bayous to
the Red river and across or up the Mississ-
lppl. Packing houses were also established
at New Iberia. Corresponding to the value
OF the salt TO the C0nfederaey was the de-
sire Of the United States authorities to con
troll the region or destroy the works; their
efforts all failed, the Confederate guard be-
ing sufficient TO protect the works till the
enemy were completely cleared out Of the
region In April, 1868. Then the 41st Massa-
chusetts, the 18th Maine, and the oath Con-
necticut were detached for a day from
the victorious column that had reached New
Iberia and, under the command Of Col
Chickerlng, went down to the island and
burned the works Since the war the mine
mas been worked by several companies, the
American salt company being the present
lessees with plant Of half a million Of dol
lars, the Averys receiving royalty. The
Southern Pacific has built 10 mile spur to
are, II DESTROYS TO see things, let down the
shaft through % feet OF surface soil and 1f5
feet OF salt. This brings you to the first level
1t has roof Of 30 feet Of salt. 1t has been
worked mainly hitherto, but the roof trickles
water somewhat and mud has come in at two
places. SO the shaft has been sunk lis feet
more and new drifts opened, which will be
developed exclusively for the present The
amount Of salt taken out Of the upper gal
leries must rise into hundreds Of thou
sands Of tons, for they are 65 feet high, cor
respondingly wide, and stretch in various
directions considerable way. The present
output Is from 100000 to 100000 pounds, or
20 carloads day. Every day a good-sized
New iberia and an equal number of loaded
cars Is taken up, marked for New Orleans,
Texas, Kansas City, Chicago and elsewhere.
The only limit to the demand for the salt Is
the pleasure Of the railroad company in its
monopoly Of carrying the product away.
The packing houses take various sizes, the
coarse for the tops of barrels and for refrig-
orator cars, the fine for the ordinary brine.
The miners are mostly Germans from the
salt mines at Strassfurt. They blast out the
salt with dynamite, like the rock that IL Is.
The air OF the mine Is free from poisonous
gases and, OF course, from moisture. The
salt Is loaded upon cars, run to the shaftr
taken up by the lift to the top Of the crush,
ers, graded by sleeves like coal, sacked o.
tumbled in bulk into the cars and rolled away
TO market. There are darker streaks In the
salt; the color Is caused by sand which In
some cases reaches per cent. The white.
which Is me great mass Of the salt, IS al
most absolutely pure, many assays having
given almost 90 per cent while the remaining
one per cent Is not preiudcial to health or 10
any Of the uses Of salt. The dark streaks
serve to show the extraordinary fact that by
some tremendous and yet quiet geologic
force the stata have been turned almost per
pendlcularly, yet without producing any
breaks that are more than cracks.